How to use Pinterest for Social Businesses Part 2

How to use Pinterest for Social Businesses Part 2
How to use Pinterest for Social Businesses Part 2

Over the part one of this little guide about Pinterest,  we covered the history of this useful resource that you can use, as a digital tool, for your social business. In part two we will now explore some tools and provide a few tips that experts have suggested for driving a successful Pinterest campaign.

Marla Tabaka (2014) of Inc makes some helpful suggestions that can be really helpful to implement a successful pinterest campaign:

1. Make sure to feel in your “About section”
Make sure that your “About” section is filled in and that it includes keywords for your business. Pinterest also provides the useful option of allowing you to verify your website, which assists with your ability to be seen in the search engine. Boards should also be named with Pinterest, and instead of using the titles that Pinterest will automatically suggest. If you use them you have an opportunity to increase your use of keywords. Popular boards being shown above the fold is another option, as is using keywords in pin descriptions. Finally hashtags can also help to make your pins easier to find for users.

2. Make calls to action

Pinterest is visually appealing and immediate. As such to use its visual potential to evoke emotions by using words that make the post seem enticing to others is key. Another great opportunity that can be taken on Pinterest is using tutorials that teach people how to do something. On Pinterest this can be done using video, checklists or infographics. A call to action can help to drive results, either by getting customers to repin, comment or “click here”. In fact, as Tabaka explains: “A call to action increases engagement by 80 percent.”

3. Use videos

Videos are particularly engaging in any social media platform. You can therefore use videos with Pinterest. Your videos should be short, and you should clearly describe what is the content of your videos. Never forget to add a “Pin Me” Notices in Video Outtros. Overall, tutorials are believed to have among the highest rates for click throughs.

4. Schedule your pins

According to various guides and books on how to use Pinterest it is important to schedule your pins so that they reach customers at the right time of day. Recent data suggests that  early in the morning and late at night and in particular on a Saturday morning are the best times to share your pins.

5. Use SEO

Krista Bunshoek of Wishpond argues a strong case for making sure that search engine optimisation (SEO) approaches are adopted on Pinterest as well. There is good reason for this since according to Bunshoek: “70% of people on Pinterest use it to get inspiration on what to buy. This compares with only 17% of Facebook users who do the same.”

Of course, getting people to buy products mean being able to get them found on the Pinterest website, and this is where SEO comes in very handy. This is particularly true given that according to Bunshoek the search box is one of the most used features of Pinterest. For this reason, people need to make sure that the search engines can find your products and services. For starters this means making sure that your privacy settings are set up in such a way that they are completely open making your pins easy to find by anyone.

6. Link your pins back to your site

Linking back to your own site is another tip that should not be forgotten.

Conclusion

In the two part Guide to Pinterest for Social Businesses, we have demonstrated that while starting out on Pinterest may seem overwhelming to someone who has not used it before, there are many benefits of doing so and many opportunities to use tools to make it easier. Are you on Pinterest yet? If not you should now be equipped to get started and we promise you that you will have a lot of fun using it!